


A test of Love

by FenarielTheDalishMage



Series: Love triumphs over all. [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Anal Sex, M/M, Massage, Sexual Abuse, Torture, blowjob
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-17
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-09 18:09:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4359104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FenarielTheDalishMage/pseuds/FenarielTheDalishMage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The inquisitor is captured after he leaves Skyhold to mourn the death of his clan. Bull and the others have to fight if they want him back but once they do will he be the same? Circumstances force a rift between them, can love conqur?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Death

**Author's Note:**

> As in all of my works I use elven but translations are put under phrases. Hope you enjoy this. Post Halamshiral, pre adamant fortress. Male warden, Alistair stays a warden, and performs the ritual with Morrigan. Hawke sides with the mages and romances fenris.

Gone.  
They were all gone.  
The keeper, Deshanna Istimaethoriel Lavellan, the da’len, the hahren, the hunters, and the only family he even knew.

The inquisitor sat in his room, on the edge of his bed. Tears fell softly and silently onto the floor as he held a necklace, made of ironbark, of the dread wolf. The keepsake the keeper had given him before he had left to spy on the conclave all those months ago.

His room was a mess. His desk was overturned, the chair lay smashed against the wall, books were thrown about the floor, and small ice formations littered the room. No one dared to enter. What would they say? What could they say?

Cassandra called the inner circle, Hawke, and Alistair into the war room to share the news. Before she could say anything Varric spoke. “Hey seeker is the inquisitor remodeling or something? Because if he is, Bianca and I have some great ideas.” Lelianna, Cullen, Cassandra, and Josephine all looked up at Varric with grim expressions which quickly reduced his smirk to a questioning scowl. “What? Did someone die or something?” Even though it was meant to be a joke Varric soon regretted it as Lelianna read the report of one of the diplomats in Wycome.

“Ambassador Montilyet,  
I regret to inform you that a contingent of soldiers gathered from other cities in the Free Marches attacked Wycome and slew most of the elves within, including all of the Dalish clan.

They avoided attacking humans when possible, and were willing to meet with us once their bloody work was done. They professed shock that Duke Antoine had been using red lyrium and insisted that all they knew was that the elves had rebelled and killed the rightful rulers of the city.

This has all been branded a tragic misunderstanding, and the nobles who now rule Wycome insist that they will repay the Inquisition for this horrible mistake.

I await my return to Skyhold at your earliest convenience.

Yours, Lady Guinevere Volant”

Everyone stood in shock. No one dared speak. Eventually cole spoke and everyone listened with horrified expressions.

“Dread wolf take me. I should have been there to protect them. It's all my fault, mythal’enaste! I can here their screams in my sleep, they haunt my dreams. I can't do this anymore, what am I going to do, gods help me.” Cole stopped as he saw everyone's faces. He figured out how to read some social cues with Varric’s help, as he was becoming more human everyday.

Vivienne was the first to speak. “Oh maker. No one should have to go through that. Especially not him.” They all nodded silently in agreement.

Sera screamed, outraged. “Repay the mistake! How? They just killed his whole family!”

The Iron Bull turned around and left the war room suddenly. He slammed the door shut as he walked briskly to the inquisitor’s quarters. He stopped at the last door and gently knocked. “Kadan? Are you in there?” There was no answer. He knocked again and again. He could hear the inquisitor's sobs and slowly opened the door. He headed up the stairs and saw him sobbing on the bed. His long silver hair lay against his face tangled and messy, his face could not be seen but his golden yellow eyes were probably red from crying.

Bull walked slowly over to him but then stopped about five feet away from him when he heard him raise his voice in anger directed at him for the first time.

“Din! Ar Isala u! An vir in abelas, Kossith." (No! I need to be alone! Leave me in sorrow, giant.)

Bull got the gist of what he was trying to say and silently left. He then went to Solas, who was with Varric and Cole in the garden. Bull walked up to Solas and spoke in a soft voice. “I need you to translate something for me.”

All three looked up at once as Solas spoke, as usual with an attitude to show his hatred for the Qunari mercenary. “And just what do you need me to do? Read you the menu from the tavern?”

Varric and Cole stood motionless as they waited for Bull to punch Solas in the face but instead he just shook his head and spoke. “Din. Ar isala u. An vir in abelas, Kossith.”

Solas looked up surprised. A face he rarely made. “Why do you need to know that?”

“Just tell me already” Bull sounded defeated but determined, still.

Solas sighed. “It means ‘No. I need to be alone. Leave me in my sorrow, giant.’ I can only assume that the inquisitor said this to you. He called you giant one because there is no word for Qunari in Elvhen. I wouldn't take offense to it. He needs time to grieve, which will sadly be difficult given the situation.”

Varric became curious and asked the obvious question. “Why is that chuckles?”

Solas became annoyed but answered nonetheless. “Because Varric, when a death occurs in a clan the whole clan mourns, but to elves who are the only survivors of a clan, it is not such a comforting event. Dalish who become clanless usually disappear entirely or join another clan and mourn as they bury the bodies in the emerald graves or another sacred ground. A ceremony is performed and then the elf lives out the rest of his or her life.”

Varric looked down in realization and spoke grimly. “But the bodies won't be returned and the inquisitor has to lead the inquisition which gives him no time to mourn. Andraste’s ass.”

Bull sighed and just walked away. Varric looked to Cole and reassured him, but the spirit knew better.


	2. Sneaking out

It was early in the morning as the inquisitor snuck out of his quarters. He wore a dark cloak over common clothes. He did not bring his staff but brought a small hunting knife with him just in case. He took an amateur hunting bow, and a quiver of arrows and headed for the barn. He woke up his jet black horse, Bora. He saddled up and walked the horse quietly out of Skyhold. He didn't dare mount until they were across the bridge. He directed his horse towards the Emerald Graves and quickly made his way there.

~

Scouts and soldiers alike got out of the way as Cassandra made her way through the ramparts, up through the library, and into the crows’ perch where she found Lelianna reading a report. As she heard the clanking of armor, Lelianna quickly put down the paper. “Cassandra you look upset, what can I do-“

Cassandra cut her off as she screamed loud enough for all the scouts present to hear. “I want everyone out of this room by the time I get to five!” Everyone besides Lelianna quickly left for fear of the Seeker’s wrath. Lelianna looked quite annoyed but ignored it just this once. “Lelianna the inquisitor is gone! I can't find him anywhere. There are no notes, no clues and his staff is still here. It's like he just vanished into thin air!”

Lelianna looked concerned but quickly hid her expression. “What about his horse?” Cassandra and Lelianna quickly went to the stables to discover that Bora's stall was open and he was gone. The inner circle quickly gathered in the war room and everyone was filled in on the situation.

Varric was the first to speak up. “Leave him be. He probably left to grieve. Give him a day or two, Seeker. You give him too little credit.”

Cassandra sighed. “Maybe you're right, Varric. Go catch Hawke and Alistair up to speed. And don't let anyone know that the inquisitor is gone, just act normal. If anyone asks, he went out hunting. Is that clear?” It was more of a statement then a question but everyone agreed.

For three days they waited and the inquisitor never returned. On the fourth day Cassandra had enough. She walked down the stairs towards the stables with Varric, Cole, Lelianna, and The Iron Bull at her heels.

“If I have to, Maker so help me, I will drag him back to Skyhold!” Cassandra announced angrily as she strode down the steps of Skyhold.

“Now Seeker, let's be reasonable. Remember who you're talking about, our beloved inquisitor, herald of Andraste, leader of the faithful, remember? You can't just drag him back like a common thug! Nightingale, tell her!” Varric being the diplomat that he was tried to calm Cassandra.

Lelianna chimed in after seeing that she needed to say something. “I fully agree Varric, but something needs to be done and Cassandra is best for the job.”

“You're not helping red!” The Iron Bull added.

As they were walking to the barn a large commotion was heard by the gates. The four of them quickly hurried to see what was going on. When they got there they found master Dennit trying to calm a worked up Bora. It took several stable hands to get the horse calmed but after about ten minutes the horse was breathing heavily with its eyes partly closed, it's head down in submission. Dennit inspected the horse and found multiple blood covered areas. The horse itself seemed to be uninjured but the question had to eventually be raised. Where was the Inquisitor?


	3. Waking up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lavellan recalls how he ended up in a dark cell.

He awoke to a cold sensation pressing against his wrists and ankles. He couldn't think straight. He felt sluggish and disoriented, as if a fog had covered his head in a blanket of mist. His body ached as he tried to move and after a few moments realized that he was completely naked. He was held in the air by cold steel chains with what looked to be wards on them. His head felt heavy as he tried to move his neck but something held it firmly in place. A strip of cloth was tied around his mouth which stopped him from speaking. After what seemed like hours of trying to form a coherent thought the mark on his hand started to glow. He had gotten used to the pain that the mark caused him on a daily basis but this was different. The pain jolted him from his groggy state enough to recall what had happened.

The inquisitor had been riding for what seemed like hours. The sun was high in the sky and Assan dragged his hooves on the ground. He let the poor horse stop for a drink from a nearby stream as he took out two apples and a small piece of bread. He fed the apples to the stallion and quickly ate the bread as if he had not eaten in days. After resting for about half an hour they resumed their treck through the mountains and finally entered the plains. He passed through settlements undetected where he was only seen as a wanderer with a horse. 

After about five hours the sun began to set. The two stopped and slept when they could, trying to avoid bandits and inquisition forces. 

Screams were all around him. Elven children cried for help as they hid behind the keeper as she relentlessly attacked the soldiers that charged at her. She saw Levellan and called for help. He tried to run but it seemed the faster he ran, the farther away they were. Eventually the keeper was cut down relentlessly and the children shared the same fate. Levellan backed away in horror as tears ran down his pale face. He felt warm water around his ankles and as he looked down he saw the water was blood. It spoke to him in the voices of those he called his family. “Why da’len? Why didn't you save us!” “It's all your fault we are dead because of you!” “You sided with the shemlen and their so called maker!” “You have failed the people!”

The inquisitor cried out in fear as he awoke drenched in sweat. The moon was still in the sky as he looked around warily. All of a sudden his hand began to glow as the mark burst to life sending waves of pain over his body. He muffled his screams of sheer agony as he quickly made his way to the stream nearby stumbling and trying to keep councious. He submerged his hand in the stream and sighed in some relief as the cold water washed away the burning sensation in his arm.

After regaining his composure, he undressed and bathed in the stream. The cold water sending chills into his sore muscles. After washing the sweat from his body he quickly dressed and set off again. By the time the sun had gone halfway across the sky, they reached the Emerald Graves. He didn't know where exactly he should go but legends told of a shrine to Mythal deep in the woods. The only thing the Inquisitor could do was search. 

After what seemed like hours, the Inquisitor set up camp and let Assan rest. As he was sitting, staring at the fire, he remembered the stories the Hahren would tell. The stories of the gods, the people and even of legends that he still loved to this day. 

The Inquisitor jolted awake from a restless slumber as he heard the bushes rustling. Assan whinnied, obviously spooked. The Inquisitor grabbed his knife and quickly held a ball of fire in his hand as a torch. He warily approached the bush and startled as a nug jumped out. He smirked and then went to calm the horse.

As he was walking towards the horse he was suddenly pushed to the ground. He was almost crushed under the wait of something as he felt a pain in his abdomen. He looked to see a large knee that was connected to the body of a Qunari with a large battle axe. The inquisitor quickly lit the large man on fire and was able to escape. He ran towards Assan knowing his only hope was to escape. If there was one there were bound to be more. He quickly took hold of Assan’s reigns and was about to get on the horse when he was grabbed from behind. He could barely breathe but managed to electrocute the body behind him. He turned to see maybe twenty Qunari and elves surround him.

Some elves had vallaslin so the inquisitor tried to reason with them.

“Garas quenathra? Vhen, ma halani!”  
(Why are you here? My people, please help me!)

Some of the elves seemed to soften a bit after hearing one of the people but after hearing who appeared to be the leader yell something in qunlat they quickly regained their ferocity. All at once they attacked the Inquisitor. Blades were flying, axes swinging, and one lone Mage in the middle of it all. After what seemed like endless enemies attacking the Inquisitor started to tire. He couldn't keep this up for much longer. As he was lost in thought for a moment when something collided with his ribs. He could hear a cracking sound as he spit up blood. He felt the sting of a blade slash his leg, and the hilt of an axe collide with his head. As his vision started to blur he summoned all his might and shot a small bolt of electricity near Assan. He watched as the horse run, hoping with all his might that the horse would make it back to Skyhold. He collided with the ground and everything went black. 

He woke up to a sharp pain in his arm as a needle injected blue liquid into him. He was surrounded by Qunari. All of them looking at him with ferocity and amusement in their eyes. His head started to feel heavy and his vision blurred as he heard a deep voice speak to him. “Rest now. Soon everything will be alright. Soon you will embrace the qun.” With that last sentence everything faded again.


	4. Torture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do the Qunari plan to do? What will they try to accomplish?

That's what happened. As he tried to break loose of the chains, the door at the far end of the room opened. Only now he could see that he was in a large stone room with no windows and no light except for a small torch that illuminated the door. Two Qunari walked in and saw he was awake. One laughed and approached him. “Finally awake, Saarebas? Good now the fun can start. Three more Qunari walked in bringing in tables with all different kinds of objects on them. One table had different knives,pliers, and other torture devices, another had needles and vials of a yellow liquid, the last had objects that he could only assume were used for “pleasure”.

A Qunari in brown attire approached him, grabbed a needle and filled it with the yellow liquid. “We're going to go on a little trip.” He said with a smirk. With that the inquisitor felt the liquid being injected into his body and the whole room seemed to spin as his eyes glazed over and his head fell limp against his chest.

He awoke back in that room as he felt pain surge through his body. Invisible forces broke his left knee, then punched him in the face. After what seemed like hours of brutal beating a loud voice rumbled throughout the room. “Embrace the Qun! Do you submit?” The inquisitor screamed in pain but spoke forcefully. “Never!” The room started to fade again as he became sick from the pain. He coughed up blood and his eyes glazed over again.

The inquisitor awoke to a pleasure deep in his stomach. Invisible hands traced over his naked form. He let out a soft groan as his sore shoulders were massaged. He then moaned as the hands traced around his nipples which immediately stiffened. He felt the hands move to his hips, tracing the bone and he giggled softly. He stiffened as something warm covered his nipple and began to suck and tease it. The inquisitor let out a gasp and shuddered as he slowly became aroused. The other nipple was being pinched and prodded, teased and toyed with. This only made his loins stir more as he moaned in pleasure, relishing the feel. His hips involuntarily bucked and he heard a deep rumbling voice. “Does this feel good? Do you want more?” The inquisitor whimpered as he felt something clasp around his cock. It slowly moved up and down, teasing the tip which started to leak. His balls were rubbed and teased which caused his back to arch ever so slightly and his hips to buck again. He hadn't felt this good since he last had an evening with Bull which was five nights before so he was all pent up. He whimpered as the hand around his length suddenly quickened and went from base to head over and over again. His breath started to become ragged and sweat formed on his body. The warmth left his nipple which caused him to groan weakly. Something warm and soft latched onto his ear, which for elves, was very sensitive. He heard a booming voice that sounded familiar. “Do you want more? Do you want release? Embrace the Qun and it is yours.” Levellan suddenly snapped out of his dreary, dreamlike state and steeled his will again. He knew this was another mind trick. He spoke weakly but was determined. “N…never.” With that the room started to spin again as his eyes glazed over once more.

He awoke in his bed, so soft and warm. He felt large hands caressing his body. He tried to move but couldn't. He half expected for this to be another trick, but it all seemed to familiar. He opened his eyes and saw The Iron Bull massaging his bound body. He moaned happily as Bull smirked and kissed him lightly. He noticed that Bull tasted differently but paid no mind. “I was worried about you Kadan. You didn't wake up for a while. It must have been a hard night trying to deal with all those dignitaries and nobles.” Bull spoke softly but Levellan became confused. He tried to remember what had happened before all this but it was hard to think and the pleasure he felt made his thoughts hazy. He moaned as bull took his length quickly into his mouth and sucked. He teased the Inquisitor with his tongue and teeth, running his large tongue from base to head in one slow, torturous movement. He moaned which sent shivers up Levellan’s spine. He was so close, one more touch would send him over the edge. He longed for it, he needed it. But just then the Inquisitor jumped, surprised at the sudden pain he felt in his chest. He opened his eyes, which he hadn't realized were closed, and saw Bull pressing a knife to his chest. The knife broke skin slowly but the pain was sharp and quick. The knife kept driving deeper and deeper until the Inquisitor started to bleed. “Bull stop!” Levellan quickly started to panic. Then remembered the watchword and quickly said it. “Bull katoh!” 

To his surprise Bull didn't stop, he kept going and another sharp pain started on his arm. The Inquisitor repeated the watchword over and over again, each time becoming more frantic and fearful. The mark started to glow and Levellan was all of a sudden hit with that burning pain that was always unbearable. He screamed in agony as tears ran down his face. For once he feared for his life with Bull. He tried to use magic to free himself from the bonds but nothing happened. He soon lost consciousness from pain.


	5. Submit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why would Bull do something like that? Lavellan would find out that this was just the beginning.

Levellan awoke to sounds of blood curdling screams and got up quickly, too quickly that he almost fell back down. He moved slowly throughout the halls of Skyhold supporting himself on the wall and quickly made his way to the main hall. His weariness turned to surprise which then turned to terror. Many different bodies littered the hall, blood stained the walls and floor. The sound of screams echoed off the walls as the Inquisitor quickly went from one room to the next. He finally found Varric. He lay against the wall, a look of agony on his face. Bianca lay a few feet away from him and a large slice was visible across his chest. The Inquisitor stared in horror and quickly ran over to the body, which was still warm. “No creators, oh please. Varric! Varric wake up.” The inquisitor tried healing him but his magic still didn't work. He sat bewitched for a moment, but then knew he had to find the others. He could mourn later. He closed Varric’s eyes and said a small prayer to Falon’Din. He then moved on to the next room where he found Sera and Vivienne. Both lay on the ground their weapons scattered on the floor. Looks of terror stained their faces. The Inquisitor backed away in horror. He was starting to panic, that was never good. He ran through the rooms to Josephine’s office to find her and Lelianna. Levellan kept running from one room to the next. Each room was the same, comrades bodies lay on the floor all kinds of fatal wounds marked their bodies. He couldn't find Bull anywhere, that relieved and terrified him at the same time. Finally he came to the last room and heard shouting. He recognized three voices. He entered to find Solas on his knees bleeding from his arm, Dorian was being held against the wall by a large figure. The inquisitor gasped in horror as he realized the one holding Dorian by his neck was The Iron Bull.

“Bull! What are you doing? These are our friends!” The inquisitor ran up to the Qunari and tried to pull him away from Dorian. Bull’s other arm swatted the inquisitor away like a fly. He slowly got up and held his head in his palm as he tried to make sense of what was happening. 

“Inquisitor! He lied, he never left the qun! Run, get out while you-” Dorian was cut off by a cracking sound. His body went limp in the qunari’s hand. His body was dropped to the floor in a large thud.

“No! Dorian!” The inquisitor ran over to the mages body and cradled his head in his arms. He had not always loved the Tevinter mage but he was a comrade, someone he had fought beside in battle. The inquisitor looked up to Bull tears flowing down his face. “Why? Why would you do this Bull?” 

Solas lay on the ground unconscious. But Bull just stared at Levellan, an evil gleam in his eye. “Because, my dear little Inquisitor, those were my orders. You really think that I'd betray my people? You really are a fool.” He let out a triumphant laugh and walked over to Solas. He crushed the elf’s body under the weight of his boot as he spoke in an amused tone. “Oops. I always forget that you elves are so fragile.” The inquisitor could do nothing but cry and scream as he ran towards The Iron Bull with Dorian’s staff in hand. Even if he couldn't use magic, he could still use force. 

Levellan stopped in mid run. He couldn't hurt the man he loved, how could he! Even if this was the real him. Bull took the opportunity to slam Levellan against a wall. Head collided with stone and the inquisitor lost consciousness.

He awoke back in that cell, screaming. All these different memories and emotions clashed in his head until only two emotions remained. Fear, fear of The Iron Bull and Pain, pain of the loss of his friends, his family, his comrades. He sobbed and begged for the pain to be over for it all to end. He heard a voice ring out in the room. “Do you embrace the Qun? All this pain can go away if you stop resisting.” The inquisitor whimpered and finally answered in a defeated voice. “P…please make it go away.” The voice cradled his now hazy mind and answered in a voice that shook his body to the very core. “Good he is ready. Let him rest now and we will begin in the morning.” The inquisitor felt a sharp pain in his arm and he felt himself start to loose his awareness, not that he had much in that cell, he drifted off into a deep sleep.


	6. The plan.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get the inquisitor back!

The party of eight had been wandering around for hours until they found the remains of the Inquisitor’s camp. Cole knelt down and spoke in a strained voice.

“Surprise, ferocity, confusion, fear. Blades slashing, magic flying, arrows zipping past. Overwhelmed as they collide. Pain clouds the mind, weariness nags the body, then…nothing.”

Varric walked over to Cole to help calm the spirit. “It's alright, kid. We’ll find him.” 

Dorian, Cassandra, Lelianna, Hawke, Cole, Varric, Solas, and The Iron Bull all looked around for clues. After what seemed like forever, Lelianna yelled out. “Look a blood trail. We can follow this!” They all crowded around to see the clue. The eight looked at the blood that appeared to be magically frozen. “Even when beaten he still wins. It's infuriating sometimes, not this time of course.” Dorian joked to try and lighten the mood. Bull growled and started off in the direction of the trail, the others following quickly and trying to calm him down. 

“What if it's all my fault? Guilt, betrayal clawing at the core, usually strong but now easy to read, not the man I was before but is that better or worse?” Cole spaced out for a moment but was brought back when Varric pulled him out of Bull’s reach just in case, as the Qunari stared back at the spirit with animalistic rage. 

After that they walked silently through the woods until they came to a large underground cavern that had elven guards posted outside. They were speaking another language but Bull, Varric, and Hawke all knew it was Qunlat. They all hid in the bushes and devised a plan.

“Ok so we will break up into two teams of four. One team will be made of one mage, one warrior and two rogues. The other will be two mages, one warrior and one rogue.” Lelianna spoke of the plan she devised on the way there. 

When night fell the eight split into two groups and commenced the operation. It was time to get their Inquisitor back.


	7. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What did the Qunari do? Why was the man that stood against a darkspawn magister now broken, body and soul?

Steel clashed against steel, arrows zipped, the sound of people dying. That was all he could hear, all he could see. The Inquisitor still lay limp in the chains his eyes glazed and tears poured down his face. The look of panic was imprinted on him. He heard other noises, muffled like he was underwater. Were they voices? He couldn't tell anymore. His body felt numb in some parts and in other parts he felt excruciating pain. As he stared at the floor he saw something illuminate the cold, grey stone. He didn't even have enough strength to lift his head so he just hung there as he felt magic wash over him and the chains broke. Someone caught him, large warm hands. He recognized them, they were Bull’s. He shook in terror as the Qunari yelled something and he saw blurred shapes move towards him. One of the blurred shapes examined him. They checked his pulse, forced his eyes open to see his pupils, checked his breathing and used magic to scan for injuries.  
“Inquisitor! Inquisitor! Can you hear me?” The muffled voice belonged to the body that had examined him. Levellan barely had any strength but mustered it all to speak. “P…please no more. I submit j…just make the pain go away.” The body holding him shook him but he soon lost consciousness.

They couldn't believe what they were hearing! The inquisitor, the one who stood face to face with a dark spawn magister and his pet archdemon begging for mercy? Solas stood deep in thought after the inquisitor lost consciousness. The Iron Bull tried shaking him awake muttering curses in Qunlat. “No! Kadan can you hear me? You have to wake up! Keep fighting it!” He started to shake the inquisitor so hard that Lelianna had to punch him to bring him back to his senses. “Bull this isn't helping! The inquisitor is wounded, and reinforcements are on there way we have to regroup with the others and get back to Skyhold quickly.” The Qunari sighed. “Dorian, Solas take the inquisitor. I'm going to lead us out of here.” The Qunari handed the inquisitor to the two mages like he was a piece of fragile glass. Dorian carried the inquisitor on his back while Solas supported him and started using healing magic to keep him stable. The four made their way back to the main group.

Hawke and Varric were fighting like old times. They were perfectly in sync. You would have thought that they'd never been apart for more than a day. Cole was working on his own as usual, stealthily slitting the attackers throats one by one. Cassandra was in the thick of it bashing into enemies with her shield and cutting the others down with her long sword. When they saw the inquisitor they all rushed up to him. Most of the enemies were either incapacitated or dead so they had a moment to spare.

“Good, Lelianna is he alright?” Cassandra asked quickly

Lelianna stared at the inquisitor’s motionless and broken body reassured only by the shallow breaths he was taking. “I'm not sure. We need to get back to Skyhold. Once we get to the outskirts of Val Royuex, Dorian and I will obtain a carriage from our forces stationed there. Then we'll head back to Skyhold. Solas and Dorian will stay in the carriage and use magic to keep the inquisitor’s condition as stable as possible.” All except Bull agreed but he went along with it anyway. 

It took about seven hours on foot to reach Val Royuex, and by the time they got there all, except for Cole, were exhausted. The inquisitor was showing no signs of improvement and a fever had set in. A cart was quickly acquired and the group made their two day journey back to Skyhold. Lelianna sent a messenger bird ahead of them to inform Cullen of what happened and to prepare to treat the inquisitor's wounds. She also had Josephine make sure no new nobles or dignitaries would be arriving for at least a week. Steps like these needed to be taken to make sure no one outside of the inner circle knew about the events that transpired.


End file.
